Is it Time to Update Your Retail Packaging Designs? 7 Signs the Answer is Yes!

If you’ve had the same retail packaging for a while, the thought of change could be quite daunting.

While you may have built up a loyal customer base with what you have, there are always more to be found. Strong retail packaging designs can go a long way to revitalizing your brand’s image and bringing new customers into the fold.

Time it wrong though and you could lose the goodwill you’ve built up with your existing following.

Has the time come for a change? Read on for our 7 signs that it’s time to update your retail packaging designs.

1. It’s Been a While…

While there’s no set time after which you should definitely revisit your packaging, times move fast and so does customer taste.

What looked great 5 or 6 years ago may now be starting to look old and tired. That’s the last thing you want when trying to retain existing customers and attract new ones.

That being said, don’t go out and make changes for the sake of it, or simply to follow current trends. While the styling needs to be on point, you need to work as a team to ensure that message is clear for customers and that it fits in with your marketing narrative.

2. What Do Customers Want?

To keep ahead of the competition, it’s vital to engage with what customers want from your product.

You need to show a keen understanding of how customers use the product so that can be reflected in your retail packaging designs. All too often, we focus on the look of the product. However, the utility of the packaging should also be considered.

Do your customers really like the way it feels in their hand? Is there a better, more ergonomic design that will show your customers you care? Have you asked your customers what they think?

Reaching out to your customers and getting first-hand feedback about retail packaging designs is a worthwhile exercise. This can be done at the initial design stage, and when prototypes are available.

3. What’s the Competition Doing?

It’s very unlikely that your competitor’s product packaging has remained stagnant over the years. They’re just as sensitive to customers’ needs as you are and can give an indication of the direction in which the market is heading.

New players will also have emerged since your last packaging redesign who can bring something new to the table. But just how well is it actually going for them? Analyze how effective their packaging redesigns have been.

Before you go out and do a complete packaging overhaul, learn from the mistakes of others. A great example of a retail packaging design fail was Tropicana. Their 2009 redesign alienated customers and led to a total reversal.

The lesson? Understand first how customers relate to your brand – what they like, and what they’re tired of. There may be elements that strongly resonate with customers – a logo, a branding device. If so, keep them or just tweak them.

4. What Do Retailers Want?

Retailers may come to you with concerns about product packaging. As the aisles become increasingly crowded, it becomes more stressful for customers to navigate the seemingly endless array of choices open to them.

They may ask for more clear packaging, and it may be worth listening to them. Updates rather than an overhaul may be all that is needed to keep your product easy for customers to locate and relate to.

5. What Is Your Product?

This might sound like a stupid question but stay with us a moment.

Some products are very sensitive to changes in fashion and can quickly get left behind. Others are more classic in nature, and that enduring appeal will be reflected in the retail packaging design. It will also influence when you choose to make a change.

What message does your product send out? How does it connect with the customer? Who are you appealing to?

Your message should be clear, simple and concise. If your message is currently getting lost in complex packaging, it’s time to make a change.

There also needs to be a cohesive narrative that runs through your advertising and into your product. You’re telling your customers a story – why they need your product in their lives.

When they finally see your products in a store or online, the retail packaging designs need to resonate with that narrative. They buy the product and complete the loop – they feel part of something wider.

6. What’s the Emotional Reaction?

Products trigger emotional reactions in customers.

That’s why they choose branded products over generic. The psychology behind it has shown that we relate to products in a similar way we relate to other humans. We find certain personalities attractive and are naturally drawn to them.

In the same way, through marketing, advertising, and retail packaging design we project the personality of our product to customers.

Time for a reality check. You’re heavily invested in the company and your products. It’s very unlikely that you can give an objective opinion on the emotional reaction your customers have to your packaging.

Time to do some research. Engage with customers. Observe how they interact with the product and the reasons they give for choosing, or not choosing it.

7. It’s Getting Lost in the Crowd

Above all, your product needs to stand out from the crowd.

That doesn’t necessarily mean using the most garish or outlandish design, but if customers genuinely can’t tell your product from your competitors almost instantly then you have a problem.

If you spot these warning signs at play in your current packaging design, then it’s time to take action. Make your brand stand out from the crowd with a competitive package design that makes customers feel it’s a privilege to own your product.

The Takeaway: Knowing When to Revitalize Your Retail Packaging Designs

Retail packaging designs need to change and evolve over time. Knowing when it’s time for an evolution or a revolution will largely come down to your response to these points.

Leave it too late, and your competitors will move on without you. Get an outside perspective, do a thorough job and customers will join you, and you won’t alienate your existing ones.